In the administrative area of Verpelét settlement, we excavated 22 soil profiles in July and August of 2014 to show what soil types build up the area, as well as the extent of soil erosion in each profile. The description of the soil profiles was carried out based on the methods of the FAO (2006) and Novák’s Soil Practicality (2013). In the study area, we found chernozem brown forest soils (Chernozems), alluvial meadow soils (Fluvisols), humous sandy soils (Arenosols), humous alluvial soils (Fluvisols), meadow chernozem soils (Chernozems), Ramann brown forest soils (Cambisols), and brown forest soils with clay illuviation (Luvisols). We examined the sheet erosion in the vicinity of Verpelét using three methods: (1) GIS method considering slope category values, (2) examining the geomorphological character of the environment around the soil profiles, and (3) determining the sheet erosion within the specific soil profiles using the methods of Kerényi (1991) and Kerényi and Martonné Erdős (1994). The first method did not indicate any erosion-prone areas in the Verpelét vicinity; however, we were able to detect greater soil erosion in the excavated soil profiles. Using the second method, 32% of the excavated soil profiles were strongly eroded, 36% were moderately eroded, 4.5% were weakly eroded, and 27.5% showed accumulation conditions. However, our third method, which focused on specific soil profiles, indicated that 32% of the excavated soil profiles were strongly eroded, 63.5% were moderately eroded, and only 4.5% were weakly eroded. The question arises as to what causes this significant difference between the various methods, and where the significant sheet erosion in the examined profiles in Verpelét actually originates from. In order to investigate this question, we examined the 1st, 2nd, 3rd Military Survey Maps, the topographic map from 1990, the CLC18 satellite imagery and the 2023 version of Google Earth. The previously forested areas on these maps were already characterized by extensive arable land, and later by arable and vineyard areas. Today, Verpelét has become predominantly an actively cultivated agricultural landscape. Therefore, the significant sheet erosion can be attributed to the spread of inappropriate land use methods and significant anthropogenic impacts (β-euhemerobic level).

We can measure the effects of anthropogenic processes to the nature in case of hilly agricultural areas with the rate of soil (water) erosion. There is actual question what kind of connection could be shown between the rate of soil erosion, land cover categories and hemeroby levels? How can the intensity of antropogenic effects influence the rate of soil erosion? We did some research work in the North Hungarian Region, in Cserépfalu in 2014. In Cserépfalu, the northern areas are under nature conservation and belong to the Southern Bükk Mountains while the southern dissected pediment is the extensive agricultural territory. We described the soil types in the southern areas using the soil description method of FAO. We collected data about the rate of soil erosion, the land cover types, slope angle, slope forms, slope aspect and data for the relief conditions too. We could point out the sheet erosion around the 15 investigated soil profiles and we could found 3 strongly eroded, 8 medium eroded and 4 accumulated soil profiles. The land cover categories were given based on FAO category system and topographic map from 1990. Our results showed that land cover categories were changed in time and it caused the change of hemeroby levels as well. The intensity of land cultivation in investigated areas was changed. We could point out in some cases that the stronger soil erosion rate was caused by former land cover system. In summary, some former agricultural areas were changed and became as an abandoned areas so that the antropogenic effects were decreased in extensive agricultural areas in Cserépfalu. Our results can be compared with another pediments dissected by valleys where extensive agricultural areas are characteristic in Hungary.

Linking southeastern Europe and central Europe, the Danube Valley plays a key role in the models of the first colonization of Europe by anatomically modern humans about 40 thousand years ago (Danube Corridor hypothesis). The middle course of the river, the Carpathian Basin occupies a fundamental place in the search for archaeological evidences of the expansion of modern humans. Surveys carried out in northern Hungary in the last two decades have discovered numerous open-air sites whose lithic material can be attributed to the period concerned. Our excavations carried out in the region of Eger demonstrated the presence of the Aurignacian but also allowed the recognition of a macrolaminar industry of the Initial Upper Palaeolithic. The lithic material collected on the surface of the Andornaktalya 2 site provided rich assemblages of these two industries. The macrolaminar industry has techno-morphological connections with the leptolithic tools of Sokyrnytsia and Korolevo in Transcarpathian Ukraine. The Aurignacian industry has several characteristics in common with those of Kos.ice-Barca and Sen. a in southeastern Slovakia. Unfortunately, the chronological position of the macrolaminar and Aurignacian industries cannot be specified at the sites of the Eger region, although their age of Interpleniglacial seems evident from the stratigraphic considerations and the dating of the sediments. Despite these chronological inaccuracies, our results support the model, published by J.K. Kozlowski in 2010, of two waves of the immigration of modern humans across the Danube Corridor. (C) 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Prehistoric human settlement activities in northern Hungary have been well studied for several decades. Recent studies from the Great Hungarian Plain provide evidence of human impact starting as early as in the Neolithic (c. 8200 cal BP). Archaeological records suggest that with establishment of the Baden culture (c. 5500 cal BP), settlements were moved from Tisza River towards the northern mountainous area. Although Quaternary landscape development of the Bukk Mountains is well studied, Holocene human environment interactions in particular, have not been focused on so far. Here, we present Holocene landscape history around Bogacs in the southern Bukk mountain foreland. Sediment records were sampled from fans of secondary tributaries in the middle course of the Hor valley. Morphology of the tributary valleys suggests different incision phases with older forms and less human impact in the northern part of the studied valley section (type 1) and younger forms and stronger human impact in the southern part (type 2). However, C-14 dates from the fan of a type 2 valley in the southern part suggest initial incision between 9000 and 8000 cal BP, whereas human activity is not reflected in the sediments. In the fan sediments of a type 1 tributary in the northern part of the studied valley section, daub was found in the context of deposits dated to 3000 cal BP. Here, thickness of Holocene sediments suggest significant soil erosion. It can be summarised that post-Pleistocene valley incision was restricted to short periods of extreme climate conditions during the Early-to Mid Holocene. Human activities did not contribute to initial valley incision. Nevertheless, human activities seem to have enhanced soil erosion in the catchments of type 1 tributaries. (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.

Several parts of the historical wine regions in Hungary are adjacent to foothill areas of mountains of medium height. In the present paper, the land-use changes of Nagy-Eged Hill, characterized by vineyards situated on the highest hill slopes in Hungary, are investigated using the First and Second Military Survey Maps (1782-1785, 1819-1869), topographic maps on scale of 1:10 000 published in 1990, and an aerial survey map made in 2012. This study area has natural conditions favourable for viticulture. There were significant land-use changes here from the 18th century onward. These land-use changes were conditioned by changes of natural conditions, the spreading of the phylloxera disaster, World Wars I. and II. and the modification of social demands. Our aim was to map and describe land-use changes in different historical times and to analyse their effects. It has come to light that 45-60 % of the territory of Nagy-Eged Hill was continously covered by forests. During a thousand years of viticulture here, vineyards appeared in greatest numbers between 1782 and 1785. After that the territory of vineyards decreased and about 90% of vineyards were abolished during the 1888 phylloxera disaster. 17.34% of the study area are vineyards today as a result of re-plantation and vineyard reconstruction. The study area has been affected by intensive soil erosion and land degradation. Nagy-Eged Hill is situated on the boundary of the Bukk National Park, which is why these areas could be integrated into the protected territory and the thousand-year-old viticulture and the landscape values protected under the Nature Conservation and Environmental Management Plan of the Bukk National Park.

The Cserepfalu Basin is a pediment basin situated in the dual pediment surface of the Bukkalja Foothill Area, at the southern margin of the Bukk Mountains, 20 kilometres far away from Eger, in the North Hungarian Mountain Range. The remnants of the older pediment (Sumegium – Berbaltavarium period, 8 – 5,5 million years ago) and the lower, younger and more extended pediment surface (Villanyium period, 1,8 million years ago) can be shown in the surroundings of the basin. The younger pediment surface developed on different Miocene rhyolite tuffs (Gyulakeszi Rhyolite Tuff Formation, Tar Dacite Tuff Formation, Harsany Rhyolite Tuff Formation) and Pliocene sand and clay series was dissected by denudation appeared because of Quaternary tectonic movements and climate changes. After the formation of younger pediment surface new, Quaternary landforms and sediments appeared in the basin. The Hor Stream, the Cseresznyes Stream and the Szoros Stream have transported a lot of sediments accumulated during the Tertiary period from the basin towards the Borsod Plain. New types of sediments appeared along the slopes and its surroundings, in alluvium. Cryoplanational processes formed the surface of the younger pediment too; Pleistocene fluvial terraces (No. II/b., No. II/a.), Holocene fluvial terraces (No. I.) and mass movements developed along slopes in different levels during the Quaternary period. 500 and 1 000 metre wide alluvium with alluvial fans evaluated in this territory. The aim of our article is to examine and map the Quaternary landforms and sediments developed during the Pleistocene and Holocene period here and to reconstruct the Quaternary landscape development in the basin. To point out different, various types of sediments, we investigated smaller study areas in the Cserepfalu Basin and we could explain different climate changes during the Wurm and Holocene period here.